1. Field
This disclosure relates to new systems and methods for remotely interacting with or controlling multimedia devices.
2. General Background and State of the Art
Currently, many interactive experiences are limited to more widespread use due to the cost and design of the user input devices required for the interactive experience. For example, the number of controller ports limits the number of simultaneous players on video game consoles. Touch screens are limited to only one or two users at a time.
There are examples of video games in which twenty-or so people play a game on a single, large screen. The game controls are installed in the seats and were wired directly to the system playing the game. However, in large public venues, like theme parks, it is quite cost prohibitive to provide custom input mechanisms for crowds of people.
Remote controls and video-game controllers are well understood technology. On TV set-top boxes, if multi-controller systems are offered at all, the remote controls are limited by the strength of their signal emitters and the number of unique device ID's available.
It is therefore desired to create location-based multimedia and game applications with a shared user interface. The user interface should be extremely inexpensive to the content creators and venues. The interface needs to provide simultaneous user participation with an infinitely scalable number of users.